Tech Meetups on the rise across America

When you think about tech in America, two cities tend to come to mind: San Francisco and New York. No doubt these cities boast thriving tech communities, but lately, tech Meetups have started changing the game—popping up like crazy in places you might not expect. Fort Collins, Colorado, for example, experienced a 500% increase in tech Meetups between 2013 and 2014. In Boise, Idaho today, you’ll find 14 distinct tech Meetups (compared to just 3 last year).

These Meetups are playing important roles in the cities that build them, cities where access to tech may otherwise be limited. Tech Meetups have the power to open big doors—to help people learn new skills, find potential colleagues, and unlock new career paths.

Tech Meetups across America, 2015

Let’s take a look at the numbers:

There are over 22,000 tech Meetups around the world—that’s 12% of Meetups everywhere.

In the U.S. alone, there are more than 10,600 tech Meetups, with over 3 million members—31% more than last year.

1,100 towns and cities in the U.S. have at least one tech Meetup.

And 130 U.S. cities have more than ten tech Meetups.

Towns including Spokane, Washington, Vienna, Virginia, Provo, Utah, and Charleston, South Carolina experienced an increase of over 200% in tech Meetups between 2013 and 2014.

An RJ Metrics report from April 2014 posits tech Meetups as the currency with which to measure the human capital of a city: “Meetups are where people in tech get together to network, talk shop, and learn from each other. Meetups are human capital factories. If you want to measure the human capital of a startup city, you measure its meetup activity.” We couldn’t agree more—and we can’t wait to see what these factories dream up next.

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Katie loves storytelling and also happens to be terribly fond of local community. She’s psyched to combine those passions, by sharing and celebrating the stories of the millions of awesome Meetup members.